Cold and Warmth
by Sgt. Sporky
Summary: Weiss Schnee hates being cold. Ruby Rose wants to help. Rated T for some lightly suggestive themes.


_**A/N: I'm on a roll! Another drabble ficlet partially inspired by a prompt- and partially by music. Maybe I've just found the right fandom to write for, eh?**_

_**§SS§**_

Surprisingly, Weiss Schnee was no fan of being cold. Sadly, it couldn't be helped. It was midwinter in Vale, and that was cold enough without factoring in Beacon's elevation, and the heaters were broken. In the dark of the night, the temperature only dropped further. Even bundled under three blankets and thick pajamas, the heiress was as cold physically as she was in outward appearance, shivering to the point of chattering teeth.

Ruby Rose, however, was quite snug, curled up beneath not only her blankets, but also her cloak, the same thick garment that kept her alive in blizzards. She was warm, but not comfortable. This was mostly due to Weiss' chattering teeth- the sound continually grated on the little huntress-in-training's nerves, until she decided to climb down.

"Weiss? Are you okay?"

The rich girl lied through her chattering teeth. "I'm fine, Ruby. Go to sleep."

"You're totally not fine, Weiss. I can hear your teeth clacking away from my bunk. Are you really that cold?"

"It's quite alright, Ruby," Weiss murmured, continuing to lie, and managing to crack a smile and a joke. "I'm the Ice Queen, remember?"

The older girl giggled at her own joke, but Ruby just stared. "... You, making jokes? Don't get me wrong, Yang would be proud, but now I _know _something's up, Weiss. Come ooooon, just tell me!"

It only served to make Weiss glare. "Weiss Schnee does not need help."

"Weiss Schnee is full of baloney!" Ruby hissed. The younger girl was losing patience. "Come on, Weiss. I'm the team leader, so let me do my job and be there for my team!"

"Fine," the older girl snapped, glaring viciously at her friend. "Not that you can do much about it, but I... I hate being cold. I can't stand it."

And the next thing Weiss Schnee knew, Ruby Rose had crawled into bed beside her, wrapping her arms around her elder from behind and draping the cloak over the both of them, plus the blankets. The effect of another body in the bed was near instantaneous, especially with the cloak helping. This was much warmer.

"See? I can do something about it," said Ruby, giggling. "You're my teammate, and you're my friend. I'd be a bad leader and a worse friend if I just left you to freeze!"

Weiss rolled over to face Ruby and sighed, resting her head just in front of the younger girl. "I still find it hard to believe any of you would want to be my friend. Especially you. After all the nasty things I've said and done, right from when we first met? It's a surprise. Really."

"You changed a lot, Weiss. Really. Maybe you _were _mean and snotty and snobbish, but that's not you _now_, right? It's you now that matters, not you then. The Weiss I know isn't just smart and rich. She's kind and considerate, and dignified and brave, and she likes animals, and she's..." _Absolutely perfect. _Ruby had to cut herself off before she finished that thought.

Weiss cocked her head at her young leader. "What was that last thing? Because the Ruby I know was always kind and considerate, not to mention brave, skilled, and maybe not always dignified, but you had something even better all along. Respect. You always saw others as your equals. You never asked for anyone to earn it from you, like I did. It was just there until they did something to lose it."

At this point, both girls were blushing a little in the darkness. Their physical closeness wasn't helping. The dim light of the stars and the cracks around the door was just enough that Weiss could see Ruby's big, silver eyes looking up into hers. But neither of them needed light to bring to notice the sudden kiss Ruby's sudden surge of courage allowed her to plant on Weiss' lips, gentle and sweet. "You want to know what that last thing was?" Ruby asked, her whole face red with embarrassment. "You're absolutely perfect."

Weiss stared back, her expression of surprise- and her extreme blush- just visible in the dim light. It took a long, worrying moment for her to respond. "And you say that as if you aren't." The elder girl pecked the younger's forehead, bringing the little reaper relief as they held each other tight, warding off the cold beneath the cloak, twining themselves together and sharing a longer, deeper kiss, both of them elated to finally have this out in open air, off their chests, and, most importantly, returned. Their tongues rolled over one another, but just as soon, they parted, leaving their tastes on one another's lips, both capable only of grinning like fools as they eased themselves into it.

"I love you, Weiss," Ruby managed to murmur around her heavy breathing.

"I love you too, Ruby," Weiss muttered back, squeezing gently.

Gradually, they drifted off to sleep, grinning like fools throughout the night while they continued to hold tight, each dreaming pleasant dreams for the first time in a long time.


End file.
